A bit of advice, don't copy nature too closely. Art is an abstraction; as you dream amid nature, extrapolate art from it, and concentrate on what you will create as a result.
Paul GauguinRead
Life has no meaning unless one lives it with a will, at least to the limit of one's will. Virtue, good, evil are nothing but words, unless one takes them apart in order to build something with them; they do not win their true meaning until one knows how to apply them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life's meaning comes from the will to live and apply virtues thoughtfully.
This quote by Paul Gauguin emphasizes that life acquires significance only when individuals actively engage with it, driven by their will. It suggests that abstract concepts like virtue and morality hold no real value unless one takes the initiative to deconstruct and apply them meaningfully in their own life.
Themes
LifeMeaningWillVirtueApplicationValue
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a motivational speech about pursuing one's passions.
More from Paul Gauguin
All quotes →A critic in my house sees some paintings. Greatly perturbed, he asks for my drawings. My drawings? Never! They are my letters, my secrets.
Paul GauguinRead
A hint - don't paint too much direct from nature. Art is an abstraction! study nature then brood on it and treasure the creation which will result, which is the only way to ascend towards God - to create like our Divine Master.
Paul GauguinRead
The flat sound of my wooden clogs on the cobblestones, deep, hollow and powerful, is the note I seek in my painting.
Paul GauguinRead
Art is either plagiarism or revolution.
Paul GauguinRead
Art requires philosophy, just as philosophy requires art. Otherwise, what would become of beauty?
Paul GauguinRead
Similar quotes
The beauty myth moves for men as a mirage; its power lies in its ever-receding nature. When the gap is closed, the lover embraces only his own disillusion.
Naomi WolfRead
St. Paul would say to the philosophers that God created man so that he would seek the Divine, try to attain the Divine. That is why all pre-Christian philosophy is theological at its summit.
Hans Urs Von BalthasarRead
The sad truth is, there's more Walter White in me than I'd care to admit, because if I truly was as kind as people think I am, I wouldn't be able to write Walter White.
Vince GilliganRead
By strengthening the three pillars of the United Nations - security, development and human rights - we can build a more peaceful, more prosperous and more just world for our succeeding generations.
Ban Ki-MoonRead
One murder makes a villain; millions, a hero.
Charlie ChaplinRead
For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.
J. R. R. TolkienRead